Israeli League Squad Likely Letting Go of Former NCAA Star

Ricardo Klein | Dec 30, 2024

Feb 22, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats guard David DeJulius (5) controls the ball against the Temple Owls in the first half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images / Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Former NCAA star guard David DeJulius is likely to be released by top EuorLeague club Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv. 

DeJulius is expected to leave Maccabi just two months after joining the team. 

Following the report, the Israeli team released a statement to clarify their position.

“David [DeJulius] is a player of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and we value him greatly. Good players draw interest in the market all the time. We can’t control all publications by teams and agents trying to create situations for their own interests”, Maccabi said.

In recent days, DeJulius has been rumored to leave Maccabi, and his future in the Israeli powerhouse has been questioned.

After leaving Aris Thessaloniki, the 25-year-old American guard signed a two-year deal with Maccabi in November. While his signing was considered good, his time in Maccabi has not been good. 

DeJulius is currently averaging 4.4 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 2.3 PIR per game in 11 games and is averaging 11 minutes. The season before, he began his European journey in Greece with Lavrio and later played for Göttingen in Germany during the second part of the 2023-24 season. 

The Michigan native started his basketball career in his home state, as he committed to the University of Michigan. DeJulius spent his first two years of college in Ann Arbor. In his time as a Wolverine, he only averaged 4.1 points per game, 1.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.3 steals while shooting 38 percent from the field and 31 percent from three in 56 games with only one start. 

DeJulius entered the NCAA transfer portal in April 2020 and received interest from Maryland, Missouri, Marquette, Cincinnati, Iowa State, DePaul, Rhode Island, Creighton, and Arizona State. Over 20 schools expressed interest in DeJulius, but eventually, he joined the Cincinnati Bearcats, where he was granted a waiver to play immediately as a transfer. 

In three seasons as a Bearcat, he averaged 13.5 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.9 steals. He shot 40 percent from the field and 29 percent from three in 88 games and 30.4 minutes of action. 

DeJulius went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft and signed his first professional contract overseas with Greek club Lavrio. He averaged 14.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in the Greek Basket League.

If DeJulius is indeed let go by Maccabi, he will be a hot commodity in the free agency market. 

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